A month of books

The annual event has showcased Bangladesh’s culture, literature, and heritage

This year’s Amar Ekushey Boi Mela, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday, promises to be bigger than ever before.

Since its inception, the annual event has showcased Bangladesh’s culture, literature, and heritage with great fanfare and aplomb, standing as one of the most important cultural events of the year.

The Boi Mela, the theme for which this year is “Bijoy: 1952 to 1971 Ebong Naboporjay,” not only celebrates Bangladesh’s diverse history and acts as a platform for free expression and thought, it also commemorates those who gave their lives to ensure that we have the freedom to speak in our mother tongue.

It is for this reason that the spirit of the Boi Mela should be expanded, its values kept alive and exported to other parts of the world, and not just kept within the confines of the month-long Boi Mela hosted at Bangla Academy.

It has never been more important for us as a nation to understand the importance of platforms such as these, where free thought is encouraged -- it is this spirit that ensures the success of any working democracy.

It is also encouraging that the fair welcomes voices from a wide range of backgrounds -- from here and abroad -- and that the likes of poets Shanka Ghosh and Mohsin Al Arishi from India will be gracing the event.

As the Boi Mela begins, we hope that as many people as possible make their way to the event, to celebrate Bangladesh’s culture and the values on which this nation was founded.